Ancient archeology – Mysterious Universehttp://mysteriousuniverse.org
Blog and Podcast specializing in offbeat newsSat, 17 Feb 2018 14:39:41 +0000en-UShourly1Ancient Greek Pyramid Found to Contain Advanced Metalworkinghttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/01/ancient-greek-pyramid-found-to-contain-advanced-metalworking/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/01/ancient-greek-pyramid-found-to-contain-advanced-metalworking/#respondFri, 19 Jan 2018 16:44:37 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=102985Pablo Picasso is regarded as a co-founder of the modern art form known as Cubism. Where did he get ideas for the odd-shaped Cubist images he painted? Art experts believe he was inspired by flat-faced marble statues found on the Greek island of Keros and made by the Cycladic culture which flourished there around 2500... Read more »]]>

Pablo Picasso is regarded as a co-founder of the modern art form known as Cubism. Where did he get ideas for the odd-shaped Cubist images he painted? Art experts believe he was inspired by flat-faced marble statues found on the Greek island of Keros and made by the Cycladic culture which flourished there around 2500 BCE. That small island, uninhabited today, is back in the news for a different reason. Archeologists excavating what looks like a pyramid have found evidence of sophisticated metalworking shops that prove this early Bronze Age culture was far more advanced that first thought.

Picasso painting

Wait, what? Pyramid? On a Greek island?

The prominent feature of Keros is a pyramid-shaped promontory or outcropping rising from the Aegean Sea (image here). Evidence shows that the island’s residents carved the surface of this natural structure into the shape of a stepped pyramid, covering it with 1,000 tons of imported white stones. That alone is impressive, giving the island’s harbor a massive symbol to go along with the ritualistic culture that created the many now-broken sculptures covering the island.

But wait, there’s more.

Archeologists working on a new project to uncover a staircase in the lower terraces found a sophisticated network of drainage tunnels that may have been used for delivering clean water or removing sewage – predating by 1,000 years the indoor plumbing found in the Minoan palace of Knossos on Crete. That drainage system was likely used by people working in another discovery – two metalworking workshops containing a lead ax, molds for copper daggers and metalworking equipment such as bellows and an oven.

Joint director of the excavation Michael Boyd, of the University of Cambridge, said in a statement that the metalworking shows this was a center for the start of urbanization. Even more impressive, the island’s remote location meant most if not all of the raw materials, food and means for living there had to be imported, making it a center for trade as well.

Cycladic statue

Artwork, metalwork, a fantastic pyramid. What happened to the Cycladic culture that made these things? They were most likely assimilated into the Minoan civilization centered on the island of Crete which flourished from about 2600 BCE to 1100 BCE. The island was abandoned and eventually looters stole or destroyed most of the flat marble statues of females that inspired Pablo Picasso.

Fortunately, those days are over, at least on Keros. The island can no longer be inhabited and the archeologists are digitally recording all excavations using the iDig program which creates 3-D models of the process in real time. It’s hoped that the new discoveries will reveal how the civilization became so advanced in plumbing and metalworking as well as what purpose the statues served.

Explaining what Picasso was trying to tell us will take more time.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/01/ancient-greek-pyramid-found-to-contain-advanced-metalworking/feed/02,000-Year-Old Lost Underground City Uncovered in Iranhttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2017/04/2000-year-old-lost-underground-city-uncovered-in-iran/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2017/04/2000-year-old-lost-underground-city-uncovered-in-iran/#commentsThu, 27 Apr 2017 21:45:27 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=85401One of the ironies of modern construction projects is that their digging often uncovers ancient construction projects. That was the case in 2005 when workers in the modern city of Samen, Iran, uncovered artifacts that forced them to stop and turn the site over to archeologists. After 12 years of careful, painstaking excavation, it was... Read more »]]>

One of the ironies of modern construction projects is that their digging often uncovers ancient construction projects. That was the case in 2005 when workers in the modern city of Samen, Iran, uncovered artifacts that forced them to stop and turn the site over to archeologists. After 12 years of careful, painstaking excavation, it was announced that what was found under today’s Samen was the 2,000-year-old lost Underground City of Samen.

According to Iranian news reports, the underground complex is 3 hectares (about 3 football fields) in area and is located 400 km (250 miles) west of Tehran under the tiny city of Samen (2006 population: 4,025) in the Hamedan Province. The nearest big city is Malayer, the capital of the province. The careful excavation and preservation was done under the guidance of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization and took on greater significance when human remains were found.

The Underground City of Samen consists of over 50 rooms or chambers that each served as a house for an individual family. The rooms were connected by catacombs – the meaning in this case is ‘tunnels’ even though remains were found in them – and contain artifacts that help the archeologists date the history of the city back 2,000 years to the period between the fall of the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BCE) and rise of the Parthian Empire (247 BCE-224 CE). For those too young to remember, the Parthian Empire stretched from what is now central-eastern Turkey to eastern Iran and, because it was on the Silk Road trade route, incorporated the arts, sciences and religions of multiple cultures, especially Greek.

Archeologists studying the artifacts and remains in the Samen underground city found indications that its residents worshiped Mithra, the ancient Iranian god of the Sun. Altars show that ceremonies were performed there and it’s possible that the nearly-complete skeletons of about 60 individuals were from religious leaders buried there. The Parthian Empire ended after war with Rome and there are indications the city was eventually used for shelter and that some of the remains could also be war heroes. Closer study of the remains may also lend credence to the rumors that the underground city was used for burial purposes through World War I.

This is the second ancient Iranian city whose discovery was announced this month – a recent sandstorm uncovered another ancient lost city in the remote Fahraj Rural District in Kerman Province in southeastern Iran.

It’s admirable that the Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization keeps modern cities from destroying their ancient counterparts. It would be nice if they could prevent modern cities from destroying other modern cities as well.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2017/04/2000-year-old-lost-underground-city-uncovered-in-iran/feed/316.11 – MU Podcasthttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/16-11-mu-podcast/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/16-11-mu-podcast/#respondFri, 23 Sep 2016 13:39:30 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=70501Dr. Ardy Sixkiller Clarke joins us this week with ‘More Encounters with Star People’, the third book in her best selling series revealing American Indian encounters of the third kind. We also feature the latest in medical futurology, all the ‘space teasers’ of the week, and the classic psychometry research providing visions into the past. Sponsors... Read more »]]>

Dr. Ardy Sixkiller Clarke joins us this week with ‘More Encounters with Star People’, the third book in her best selling series revealing American Indian encounters of the third kind.

We also feature the latest in medical futurology, all the ‘space teasers’ of the week, and the classic psychometry research providing visions into the past.

Music

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/16-11-mu-podcast/feed/0Mysterious Secret Passage Found In Ancient Ruinshttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/mysterious-secret-passage-found-in-ancient-ruins/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/mysterious-secret-passage-found-in-ancient-ruins/#commentsSat, 10 Sep 2016 22:17:14 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=69392Secret passages hidden in ancient ruins are a mainstay of fantasy and adventure stories, usually leading to powerful magical artifacts or caches of booby-trapped treasure. Previous archaeological research has revealed secret passages in the Egyptian Pyramids and Mexico’s Teotihuacán ruins, but unfortunately no face-melting Arks of the Covenant were found. Luckily for archaeological treasure hunters,... Read more »]]>

Secret passages hidden in ancient ruins are a mainstay of fantasy and adventure stories, usually leading to powerful magical artifacts or caches of booby-trapped treasure. Previous archaeological research has revealed secret passages in the Egyptian Pyramids and Mexico’s Teotihuacán ruins, but unfortunately no face-melting Arks of the Covenant were found.

Luckily for archaeological treasure hunters, Turkish news outlet Hurriyet Daily News has reported the discovery of an ancient secret passage within the excavated ruins of a Hittite archaeological site. The site has been in the process of being excavated since its discovery in 2014 by archaeologists from Ankara University in Turkey.

The site of the Hittite sanctuary which contains the secret passage.

The ruins are part of Turkey’s first “national excavation field,” an area known as Alacahöyük. This area was a center of the Hittite civilization which thrived throughout Eurasia and North Africa between the years 1600 and 1100 BCE.

According to Ankara University professor and lead archaeologist Aykut Çınaroğlu, the secret passage might have had a ritualistic or ceremonial function, although further excavation is needed before any theories can be confirmed:

We are carrying out excavations right now; we have not finished yet. We started from the gate opening to the sanctuary, trying to open it. This is a [passage] from nearly 2,300 years ago. We have dug 23 meters so far but think that it is longer. Cleaning work is continuing, too. We will see what we will find in the end.

The first Hittite skeleton was also found at the site, which might clue archaeologists in on the genetic makeup of the Hittites. Before the 19th discovery of Hittite archaeological sites, most of the knowledge of Hittites was based on sections of the Old Testament. After the founding of Turkey, interest in the Hittites grew as more and more Hittite artifacts were found. These discoveries led archaeological historians to speculate that the Hittites evolved from prehistoric civilizations that settled in the areas that now make up Turkey, Syria, and some of the Arabian Peninsula. The Hittite civilization is believed to have dissolved during the Late Bronze Age Collapse and dissolved into several smaller city-states.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/mysterious-secret-passage-found-in-ancient-ruins/feed/1Unexplained Stone Structures Found Off Australia’s Coasthttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/unexplained-stone-structures-found-off-australias-coast/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/unexplained-stone-structures-found-off-australias-coast/#commentsSat, 10 Sep 2016 10:02:33 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=69282Archeologists with the University of Western Australia have discovered a mysterious set of stone structures not far from the Dampier Archipelago in northwestern Australia. If current theories about the structures are confirmed, they could potentially rewrite much of Western Australia’s early history, not to mention human history. According to a UWA press release, the structures... Read more »]]>

Archeologists with the University of Western Australia have discovered a mysterious set of stone structures not far from the Dampier Archipelago in northwestern Australia. If current theories about the structures are confirmed, they could potentially rewrite much of Western Australia’s early history, not to mention human history.

Excavations on Rosemary Island, one of the outer islands, have uncovered evidence of one of the earliest known domestic structures in Australia, dated between 8000 and 9000 years ago […] We anticipate that this extraordinary rock art estate will produce some spectacular insights into what life was really like in deep history.

The structures are a set of rooms cut into stone, some of which display evidence of early agricultural practices such as grinding seeds and storing shells. This find could change current thinking about civilizations of the time, which were previously believed to have been hunter-gatherer groups.

Aboriginal rock art found in the Dampier Archipelago.

Lead researcher Jo McDonald, president of UWA’s Centre for Rock Art Research and Management, says that the site is important not only for the archeological history of the continent, but also for the indigenous communities of Western Australia:

This is an astounding find and has not only enormous scientific significance but will be of great benefit to Aboriginal communities in the area, enhancing their connections to their deep past and cultural heritage.

The Dampier Archipelago formed around 7,000 years ago as sea levels rose, creating isolated Aboriginal communities. Today, five distinct Aboriginal language groups are recognized in the area. Archeologists believe that the site has been occupied for around 25,000 years, pre-dating the last ice age, and a nearby site is thought to be over 50,000 years old.

The bedrock in the Dampier Archipelago is some of the oldest on Earth.

Geological records show that the underlying bedrock in the region is some of the oldest on Earth, dating back some 2,400 million years; because of all of this archeological significance, there is an ongoing movement to list this area as a World Heritage Site.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/unexplained-stone-structures-found-off-australias-coast/feed/1Mysterious Mayan Codex Confirmed As Oldest Book In Americashttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/mysterious-mayan-codex-confirmed-as-oldest-book-in-americas/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/mysterious-mayan-codex-confirmed-as-oldest-book-in-americas/#respondFri, 09 Sep 2016 18:54:22 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=69367Anthropologists from Brown University have announced that an 800-year old Mayan text has been confirmed to be the oldest known surviving text from the Americas. After a detailed analysis of the manuscript’s construction, iconography, and scientific content, researchers then used carbon dating to conclusively determine the codex is authentic and older than all other known... Read more »]]>

Anthropologists from Brown University have announced that an 800-year old Mayan text has been confirmed to be the oldest known surviving text from the Americas. After a detailed analysis of the manuscript’s construction, iconography, and scientific content, researchers then used carbon dating to conclusively determine the codex is authentic and older than all other known Mayan codexes.

A deteriorated page of the Grolier Codex.

The Grolier Codex, as the text is known, has had a storied history since its discovery in 1965 by looters. The text was then offered to a Mexican artifact collector, who eventually displayed it at the Grolier Club in New York. The codex’s authenticity was disputed several times before the text was eventually seized by the Mexican government who placed it in a private collection inside a museum in Mexico City.

The existing pages of the Grolier Codex.

Stephen Houston of Brown University, one of the lead researchers in this study, said that his team tried to approach the codex without any preconceived notions stemming from its colorful and heavily disputed past:

It became a kind of dogma that this was a fake. We decided to return and look at it very carefully, to check criticisms one at a time. Now we are issuing a definitive facsimile of the book. There can’t be the slightest doubt that the Grolier is genuine.

Much of the text has been lost to the ravages of time, and only ten pages survive today. The Grolier Codex contains a complete calendar that tracks the movement of Venus, various other astronomical charts and data, depictions of religious rites (including sacrificial rituals), and even political theory.

A deity depicted in the Mayan codex.

According to the authors, the gods represented aren’t the supreme Mayan gods, but instead are lesser deities:

[The gods in the codex are] workaday gods, deities who must be invoked for the simplest of life’s needs: sun, death, K’awiil — a lordly patron and personified lightning — even as they carry out the demands of the ‘star’ we call Venus.

The new research on the Grolier Codex has been published in the journal Maya Archaeology. The confirmation of the codex’s authenticity now makes it one of only four known Mayan codices that have survived the fall of Mayan civilization.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/mysterious-mayan-codex-confirmed-as-oldest-book-in-americas/feed/0Ancient Graves Containing Footless Sacrifices Found in Peruhttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/ancient-graves-containing-footless-sacrifices-found-in-peru/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/ancient-graves-containing-footless-sacrifices-found-in-peru/#respondThu, 08 Sep 2016 22:53:24 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=69124The next time you complain about having to stand too long during a church service or being required to kneel on hard floors, remember the story of these poor kids in 14th century Peru who had their feet cut off during a religious ceremony … and that was before they were sacrificed to a god... Read more »]]>

The next time you complain about having to stand too long during a church service or being required to kneel on hard floors, remember the story of these poor kids in 14th century Peru who had their feet cut off during a religious ceremony … and that was before they were sacrificed to a god who apparently believed footless children made good guards. On the other hand, you may envy the job of one of the adults buried with them. He was in a place of honor as the designated coca-leaf chewer.

Archaeologist Carlos Wester La Torre of the Peru Culture Ministry’s Unidad Ejecutora (Implementation Unit) discovered at least 13 graves recently at the Chotuna-Chornancap site in the region of Lambayeque. Lambayeque is on the northwestern Pacific coast of Peru and was a center for the pre-Incan Chimú culture.

The pyramid

According to local mythology, nine warriors manned a flotilla of balsa rafts under a man named Naymlap, whose descendants became the Moche and the Chimú. The Chimú worshiped the god Lambayeque (Yampellec) and established an advanced urban society centered around gold, which probably led to its conquest by the Incas, who were then conquered for the same reason by Francisco Pizarro and the Spaniards.

The Chotuna-Chornancap site is a Chimú temple and pyramid complex. The most prominent person buried in the 13 graves appears to be a Chornancap priestess, who was interred with a copper mask, jewelry, other offerings and a gold scepter. Surrounding the priestess are the graves of six children buried in pairs facing north, east and west. The two facing west were the unlucky ones, according to Wester La Torre.

It appears the feet had been removed intentionally, suggesting they had been sacrificed as an offering and used as ‘guardians’ of the graves.

One of the graves

The site showed evidence that the children, along with the adults buried there, had been sacrificed. Paintings there depicted people holding decapitated heads. To make it seem like it wasn’t so bad, one man was buried with a vessel showing that he was a “coquero” – a coca leaf-chewer. Another showed a man smiling. Religious propaganda goes back a long way.

The archaeological excavations in this season have begun to yield results that allow us to reconstruct the function of places such as Chornancap. Since the discovery of the priestess’ grave, the site has continued to reveal the complexity of ceremonies and rituals that took place at the temple.

That’s a nice archeological way of describing human sacrifices and footless children, Carlos.

The local museum where many of the artifacts will probably end up

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/ancient-graves-containing-footless-sacrifices-found-in-peru/feed/0Ancient Tablet Reveals Mysterious Goddess-Worshiping Culthttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/08/ancient-tablet-reveals-mysterious-goddess-worshiping-cult/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/08/ancient-tablet-reveals-mysterious-goddess-worshiping-cult/#respondMon, 29 Aug 2016 21:25:57 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=68785The ancient and long-dead Etruscan culture has puzzled archaeologists and historians for centuries. According to archeological data, the culture was once a thriving and influential force in central Europe, but mysteriously disappeared as the Roman empire began to rise. It has been speculated that perhaps the Etruscans were assimilated into the larger Roman culture, as... Read more »]]>

The ancient and long-dead Etruscan culture has puzzled archaeologists and historians for centuries. According to archeological data, the culture was once a thriving and influential force in central Europe, but mysteriously disappeared as the Roman empire began to rise. It has been speculated that perhaps the Etruscans were assimilated into the larger Roman culture, as some vestiges of Etruscan traditions can be found in Roman culture.

Etruscan culture began around 700 BC but was absorbed into greater Roman civilization only around 600 years later.

Earlier this year, MU reported that a team of archeologists digging in Italy unearthed a massive 2,500-year old Etruscan tablet thought to be a stele, or stone monument marking the entrance to a forgotten temple. Now, translation of the tablet has confirmed that speculation and much more, and might revolutionize our current understanding of the Etruscan culture.

The tablet on which the inscription was found.

According to a press release issued by Southern Methodist University, the tablet could be the most complete Etruscan religious text discovered to date. Archeologists studying the inscriptions on the tablet’s surface have discovered the name of an influential Etruscan goddess, Uni. Uni is the Etruscan equivalent of Juno or Hera from Roman and Greek mythology, respectively, and was worshiped as a supreme goddess by the Etruscans.

Uni, suckling Hercle before he ascended to immortality. What a way to go.

According to Adriano Maggiani, one of the archeologists deciphering the tablet, the tablet was most likely a form of dedication to the goddess:

The location of its discovery — a place where prestigious offerings were made — and the possible presence in the inscription of the name of Uni, as well as the care of the drafting of the text, which brings to mind the work of a stone carver who faithfully followed a model transmitted by a careful and educated scribe, suggest that the document had a dedicatory character.

Gregory Warden, archeologist with Southern Methodist University and one of the lead researchers on the dig that found the tablet, told Discovery News that this discovery is thought to indicate a previously unknown Etruscan cult:

Etruscan sanctuaries are often dedicated to more than one deity. And we have possible indications that the cult may have changed in nature […] The centre of worship was an underground fissure that was ritually treated after the destruction of the temple. Underground cults of this type were often associated with female divinities.

Etruscan writing on the tablet’s face.

The translation of the tablet is time-consuming and difficult, because archeologists’ understanding of the Etruscan language is based on fragments collected from other discoveries. Some of the 120 characters on this particular tablet are new to Etruscan linguists and historians, whose knowledge of the ancient dead language is mostly based on previously unearthed burial artifacts. Since Etruscans used cloth or wax tablets for their writing, very few examples of Etruscan writing have survived the test of time.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/08/ancient-tablet-reveals-mysterious-goddess-worshiping-cult/feed/0Mysterious Ancient Symbols Found On Hawaiian Beachhttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/08/mysterious-ancient-symbols-found-on-hawaiian-beach/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/08/mysterious-ancient-symbols-found-on-hawaiian-beach/#respondFri, 12 Aug 2016 10:45:27 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=67678A twosome of Texan tourists stumbled across a surprising find while strolling the beautiful Hawaiian shoreline on a recent vacation. Lonnie Watson and Mark Louviere were walking along the beach when, according to Watson, the sun shone light on a mysterious object in the surf: For some reason there was a beam of light…just a... Read more »]]>

A twosome of Texan tourists stumbled across a surprising find while strolling the beautiful Hawaiian shoreline on a recent vacation. Lonnie Watson and Mark Louviere were walking along the beach when, according to Watson, the sun shone light on a mysterious object in the surf:

For some reason there was a beam of light…just a beam…it landed right on one of them and for some reason I just turned my head. I said, look, it was just a stroke of luck.

Luck indeed. The objects in the sand turned out to be a series of ancient petroglyphs carved into the sandstone that makes up much of the shoreline.

Hawaii’s Waianae Coast in Honolulu County.

According to a press release issued by Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, the petroglyphs were discovered on a stretch of beach known as the Waianae Coast. 17 separate petroglyphs have been found so far, on a stretch of beach roughly 60 feet (18 meters) long.

The petroglyphs stretch along a 60-foot stretch of shoreline.

Army archaeologist and Waianae native Alton Exzabe told the Department of Land and Natural Resources that the location of these petroglyphs makes this find unique:

What’s interesting is the Army in Hawaii manages several thousand archaeological sites, but this is the first one with petroglyphs directly on the shoreline. […] Some people have said they’ve seen them before, but this is quite a significant find.

The ancient carvings depict what appear to be humanoid figures in various poses, although further analysis is needed to determine what they might represent. According to Hawaiian native Glen Kila, the petroglyphs were a way for ancient Hawaiian peoples to preserve their history:

They record our genealogy and religion. It’s very important to know about the lineal descendants of the area and their understanding of these petroglyphs. The interpretation of these petroglyphs can only be interpreted by the lineal descendants who are familiar with its history and culture.

The petroglyphs are no longer exposed, as sand has once again washed over and hidden them. Both the Hawaii State Historic Preservation Division and the U.S. Army are working to protect and preserve the petroglyphs so that they might be studied in the future. Tourists are advised not to stand on the stones to prevent any accidental damage.

One of the petroglyphs as seen from the surf along the Waianae Coast.

Are these stones a remnant of an ancient Hawaiian culture, or could they be evidence of a deeper mystery? Unfortunately, further analysis is needed before any conclusions can be drawn. In the meantime, watch where you wakeboard.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/08/mysterious-ancient-symbols-found-on-hawaiian-beach/feed/0Mayan Tomb Reveals Clues to Mysterious Snake Dynastyhttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/08/mayan-tomb-reveals-clues-to-mysterious-snake-dynasty/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/08/mayan-tomb-reveals-clues-to-mysterious-snake-dynasty/#respondWed, 10 Aug 2016 13:41:50 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=67116Archeologists digging in Xunantunich, an ancient Mayan city in Western Belize, have discovered one of the largest Mayan royal tombs ever, containing not just a skeleton but writings that shed new light on a mysterious and powerful ‘Snake Dynasty’ that ruled the area 1,300 years ago. What’s amazing about the discovery of this tomb is... Read more »]]>

Archeologists digging in Xunantunich, an ancient Mayan city in Western Belize, have discovered one of the largest Mayan royal tombs ever, containing not just a skeleton but writings that shed new light on a mysterious and powerful ‘Snake Dynasty’ that ruled the area 1,300 years ago.

What’s amazing about the discovery of this tomb is that we know that archaeologists have been working at Xunantunich since the 1890s.

Jaime Awe from Northern Arizona University led the team that found the huge Mayan burial temple, measuring 4.5 meters (14.7 feet) by 2.4 meters (7.9 feet), buried about 20 feet deep. Both its size and purpose made it an unusual find, says Awe.

… it appears that the temple was purposely erected for the primary purpose of enclosing the tomb. Except for a very few rare cases, this is not very typical in ancient Maya architecture.

Digging in the tomb

What they found inside added to its mystery. The skeleton was of a muscular man in his 20s. He was buried with bones of a jaguar and a deer, jade beads, obsidian blades, and 36 ceramic vessels – signs that he may have been of some importance. Was he a ruler of the Snake Dynasty?

Panels found in the tomb were covered with hieroglyphics that told of the ruling family that used a snake’s head as its symbol. According to epigrapher Christophe Helmke, the panels described the conquests of Lord K’an II, the ruler of the ancient city of Caracol located 26 miles from the tomb. They also mention the death of K’an’s mother, Lady Batz’ Ek’. But the most startling discovery were additional panels showing the feats of another Snake Dynasty king, Waxaklajuun Ubaah K’an, who appeared to have ruled at the same time, competed with K’an for the ultimate title of Kanu’l Ajaw (“King of the place where snakes abound”) … and may have been his brother! These aren’t just hieroglyphics, they’re a Mayan soap opera!

In the findings published in the Journal of the Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute, Helmke point out that these panels are actually explanations of the beginning and the end of the Snake Dynasty. It began in Dzibanche in the Yucatan peninsula and moved to Calakmul when Lady Batz’ Ek’m who was from what is now Guatemala, married the ruler of Caracol. The dynasty ended with the fight for power between the two K’ans.

Is the skeleton in the tomb one of the brothers? It’s hard to say since the hieroglyphic panels were moved to Xunantunich from Caracol. Whoever he is, its discovery in this tomb hidden for so long in a well-researched area shows how little we know about the Mayans and how rich their history is.

The Xunantunich Maya Ruins

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/08/mayan-tomb-reveals-clues-to-mysterious-snake-dynasty/feed/0King Tut’s Dagger Confirmed To Have Extraterrestrial Originhttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/06/king-tuts-dagger-confirmed-to-have-extraterrestrial-origin/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/06/king-tuts-dagger-confirmed-to-have-extraterrestrial-origin/#respondMon, 06 Jun 2016 16:52:37 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=62881A recent study published in Meteoritics and Planetary Science has confirmed that King Tut’s dagger was made from materials found in a meteorite. The dagger was discovered in 1922 when famed Egyptologists Howard Carter and George Herbert discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Tutankhamun ruled from 1332–1323 BC in a period known... Read more »]]>

A recent study published in Meteoritics and Planetary Science has confirmed that King Tut’s dagger was made from materials found in a meteorite. The dagger was discovered in 1922 when famed Egyptologists Howard Carter and George Herbert discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings.

King Tut’s dagger, found to be composed of meteoritic iron

Tutankhamun ruled from 1332–1323 BC in a period known as the New Empire Period, when Tut banned the worship of the god Aten and restored the worship of the god Amun; his name literally means “Living image of Amun.” While Tut did not have the most significant impact on Egyptian history, his tomb has provided archaeologists with one of the most complete pictures of Egyptian burial rites and artifacts.

King Tut’s dagger was found along with other burial artifacts in Tut’s lavish tomb. Scientists used a technique known as X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to determine the exact molecular composition of the dagger, which, along with iron, was found to have around 11% Nickel and Cobalt. According to the team behind this announcement, the blade shows a high level of sophistication that suggests ancient Egyptian metalworkers had experience with the then-precious metal:

In agreement with recent results of metallographic analysis of ancient iron artifacts from Gerzeh, our study confirms that ancient Egyptians attributed great value to meteoritic iron for the production of precious objects. Moreover, the high manufacturing quality of Tutankhamun’s dagger blade, in comparison with other simple-shaped meteoritic iron artifacts, suggests a significant mastery of ironworking in Tutankhamun’s time.

During the reign of King Tut, Egyptian metalworkers could smelt ores with a lower melting point like tin and gold, but did not have the technology to smelt iron. Despite this, many other iron objects have been discovered in Egypt that pre-date the iron age, such as jewelry.

King Tut’s death mask, one of the most famous and widely viewed Egyptian artifacts in the world

Archeologists have long suspected that many of these early iron objects were forged from extraterrestrial iron sourced from meteorites, since the advent of mining and smelting techniques developed much later. The ancient Egyptians used meteoritic iron so widely that they had their own name for it: “iron of the sky.”

The practice of making weapons from meteorites didn’t end with the Egyptians, however. Just this year, an American company released a pair of pistols made from meteoric iron.

“Iron of the sky”

Already, ancient alien theory supporters have taken to the blogosphere with conjectures on how this dagger announcement lends itself to their theory that King Tut was either an alien/human hybrid or an alien himself. Whether or not ancient astronauts helped the Egyptians build the pyramids, it’s now clear that they did have some help from the skies, at least in the form of free precious metals.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/06/king-tuts-dagger-confirmed-to-have-extraterrestrial-origin/feed/0Beer Snobs, Rejoice: 5000-Year Old Beer Discovered In Chinahttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/06/beer-snobs-rejoice-5000-year-old-beer-discovered-in-china/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/06/beer-snobs-rejoice-5000-year-old-beer-discovered-in-china/#respondTue, 31 May 2016 17:40:53 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=62408A team of Stanford University archaeologists recently published their findings after unearthing a 5000-year old collection of beer brewing equipment that gave clues about the ingredients in an ancient beer recipe. The team was excavating a site along China’s Wei River when the discovery was made, which marks one of the earliest known examples of brewing... Read more »]]>

A team of Stanford University archaeologists recently published their findings after unearthing a 5000-year old collection of beer brewing equipment that gave clues about the ingredients in an ancient beer recipe. The team was excavating a site along China’s Wei River when the discovery was made, which marks one of the earliest known examples of brewing in human history.

The archaeologists were examining a set of underground chambers that were discovered in China’s Shaanxi province when a collection of specialized jugs, bottles, and urns were found. After examining remnants of liquids inside the vessels, the team determined that these implements were indeed brewing tools and even contained traces of ancient beer.

One of the brewing vessels discovered at the site.

Using a chemical identification process known as ion chromatography, scientists were able to determine the chemical composition of the beer residue. In it, they found barley, millet, and wheat, as well as several indigenous Chinese tubers that are often used in Chinese medicine.

The find is significant because it implies that crops had been devoted solely to beer-making far earlier than historians and archaeologists previously thought. Before this discovery, it was believed that brewing began when farmers had leftover grains after harvests. The specialized tools and vessels also indicate a high level of sophisticated knowledge in temperature control and fermentation, implying that the Neolithic Yangshao culture that produced them might have been more advanced than previously thought.

An ancient earthen funnel found among the brewing equipment.

According to their published findings, the Stanford archaeologists were also surprised to discover barley among the ingredients, as barley was believed to have been introduced to Asia much later in history:

Our findings imply that early beer making may have motivated the initial translocation of barley from the Western Eurasia into the Central Plain of China before the crop became a part of agricultural subsistence in the region 3,000 years later.

Due to China’s blisteringly fast rate of urban development, it is fairly common for developers and construction crews to unearth archaeological sites. Unfortunately, Chinese real estate developers and the big money behind them don’t want to be delayed by these discoveries, so these sites are often destroyed before archeologists and historians are allowed to preserve them. Luckily for brewing enthusiasts, the site in which the recent brewing discovery was made was excavated in 2006 before developers built high-rise residential buildings in its place.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/06/beer-snobs-rejoice-5000-year-old-beer-discovered-in-china/feed/0Newly Translated Egyptian Scrolls Contain Dark Love Magichttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/05/newly-translated-egyptian-scrolls-contain-dark-love-magic/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/05/newly-translated-egyptian-scrolls-contain-dark-love-magic/#respondWed, 25 May 2016 18:30:37 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=62193The Egypt Exploration Society has recently announced a new volume of translated ancient Egyptian papyri that have revealed a mysterious artifact of Egyptian culture: a collection of spells including a love spell designed to give women ultimate power over men’s hearts. The translation work was done by Franco Maltomini on behalf of Oxford University’s Imaging... Read more »]]>

The Egypt Exploration Society has recently announced a new volume of translated ancient Egyptian papyri that have revealed a mysterious artifact of Egyptian culture: a collection of spells including a love spell designed to give women ultimate power over men’s hearts. The translation work was done by Franco Maltomini on behalf of Oxford University’s Imaging Papyri Project, which is in the process of translating and deciphering a large collection of ancient Egyptian papyri.

One of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri

One of the spells in the papyri includes instructions for the burning of sacrificial offerings in a bathhouse in order to control the heart of a desired woman:

Burnt offering in the bathhouse. … and write with the blood of Typhon and glue it to the dry vaulted vapour room of the bath: ‘I adjure you, earth and waters, by the demon who dwells on you and the fortune of this bath so that, as you blaze and burn and flame, so blaze her until she comes to me.’

Another spell in this recently translated set instructs lovelorn females on how to engrave a magical copper plaque that can be attached to a man’s shoe, where it will allow them to control his every whim. The text also lays out a charm which includes an animal sacrifice designed to hold the tongue of an enemy:

Take a chameleon alive and hang it, … smoke a root of the plant chameleon … Push through its mouth a stone … gold-coloured, very bright. And after consecrating it with the consecration that works for everything, you will have an unsurpassable wrath restrainer charm, for, worn around the body, it is adapted for all things; but if someone or the opponents in a lawsuit speak … press the stone and they will certainly not speak.

The papyri on which these spells were found were discovered in the late 19th century in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt and have been dated to be around 1,700 years old. This particular papyrus is part of a set of hundreds of thousands of Egyptian scrolls that were discovered at the same site, called the Oxyrhynchus Papyri. Translating the texts has been a long, arduous process due to the fragility of the ancient paper scrolls.

Other recent translations of the same set of papyri have turned up an ancient hangover cure and an eye medicine recipe that contains ingredients we now know to be toxic. Despite these new findings, this author’s favorite instance of Egyptian dark magic remains the 1986 love spell that stole his heart and has yet to give it back:

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/05/newly-translated-egyptian-scrolls-contain-dark-love-magic/feed/0Unearthed Ancient Text Sheds Light on Lost Culturehttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/05/unearthed-ancient-text-sheds-light-on-lost-culture/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/05/unearthed-ancient-text-sheds-light-on-lost-culture/#commentsFri, 06 May 2016 10:15:48 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=60977Archaeologists in Northern Italy recently unearthed an archaeological jackpot: a rare tablet inscribed with a dead language. The international researchers who make up the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project were digging at the site of an ancient temple built by the long-dead Etruscan civilization when they unearthed the valuable find. The tablet itself weighs close to... Read more »]]>

Archaeologists in Northern Italy recently unearthed an archaeological jackpot: a rare tablet inscribed with a dead language. The international researchers who make up the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project were digging at the site of an ancient temple built by the long-dead Etruscan civilization when they unearthed the valuable find.

The tablet could change what we know about the Etruscan civilization

The tablet itself weighs close to 500 pounds (226 kg) and measures approximately four feet by two feet (1.2m x 0.6m). Around 70 unique letters and punctuation marks have been carved into the tablet, potentially providing new information about Etruscan culture or religious rites. It is believed that the tablet was a sort of sacred text used in ritual ceremonies or perhaps contained dictates intended for visitors to the temple under which it was discovered. The team estimates that the tablet has been buried for over 2,500 years.

The Etruscans were a pre-Roman civilization occupying the lands that now make up Italy and Corsica. The exact origins of the Etruscans are unknown, although some theories believe they might be indigenous to the region. Roman historians claim the Etruscan civilization was already established in Italy as early as the 900 B.C. It is believed that as the Roman Empire grew, Etruscan civilization was simply absorbed into Roman society.

Etruscan writing found on the tablet

Little is known of Etruscan culture due to the fact that very few Etruscan texts have survived the test of time. What little we do know of the ancient civilization is based mainly on excavations of tombs. Some theories claim that the Etruscans were the source of much of the knowledge upon which Roman civilization was built, such as road building, alphabetic writing systems, and wine making. Archaeologist Ingrid Edlund-Berry at The University of Texas at Austin says that this tablet, or steele, has the potential to add to our understanding of Etruscan civilization since it contains a substantial amount of writing:

“Any text, especially a longer one, is an exciting addition to our knowledge. It is very interesting that the steele was found within the walls of the buildings at the site, thus suggesting that it was re-used, and that it represents an early phase at the site.”

The unearthing of this tablet comes on the heels of a 2015 discovery of an Etruscan tomb containing sarcophagi, crematory urns, and other burial artifacts. Since historians and archaeologists are still searching for and putting together the pieces of the Etruscan puzzle, this finding could be groundbreaking in terms of filling in many of the knowledge gaps in terms of what we know of the ancient Etruscan civilization.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/05/unearthed-ancient-text-sheds-light-on-lost-culture/feed/115.11 – MU Podcasthttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/03/15-11-mu-podcast/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/03/15-11-mu-podcast/#commentsFri, 25 Mar 2016 13:49:30 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=58660After the internet’s 24 hour decimation of Microsoft’s latest chat AI we hear how one infamous broadcaster believes we are all being similarly hacked by an alien intelligence. We then investigate archaeoacoustics and an alleged pre-historic ‘consciousness internet’ before eventually winding up with tales of portal traversing Men in Black and the mysterious Force X. Links... Read more »]]>

After the internet’s 24 hour decimation of Microsoft’s latest chat AI we hear how one infamous broadcaster believes we are all being similarly hacked by an alien intelligence.

We then investigate archaeoacoustics and an alleged pre-historic ‘consciousness internet’ before eventually winding up with tales of portal traversing Men in Black and the mysterious Force X.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/03/15-11-mu-podcast/feed/315.01 – MU Podcasthttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/01/15-01-mu-podcast/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/01/15-01-mu-podcast/#commentsFri, 15 Jan 2016 11:48:32 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=54971Investigative filmmaker Jeremy Kenyon Lockyer Corbell joins us on our debut podcast for season 15. Jeremy shares his work documenting unique individuals from his film series ‘Extraordinary Beliefs‘ which includes the recent revelations of a military funded NanoPhysicist known for Advanced Propulsion Systems who claims he possesses a mysterious meta-material… not created here on Earth. Jeremy Kenyon Lockyer Corbell EXTRAORDINARY BELIEFS –... Read more »]]>

Jeremy shares his work documenting unique individuals from his film series ‘Extraordinary Beliefs‘ which includes the recent revelations of a military funded NanoPhysicist known for Advanced Propulsion Systems who claims he possesses a mysterious meta-material… not created here on Earth.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/01/15-01-mu-podcast/feed/6Ancient Civilization Drove Tanks and Trucks in Turkeyhttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/08/ancient-civilization-drove-tanks-and-trucks-in-turkey/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/08/ancient-civilization-drove-tanks-and-trucks-in-turkey/#commentsMon, 17 Aug 2015 21:04:20 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=48587Let’s say there was a civilization on Earth that predated the first humans by a few million years. How might they have traveled through the primordial slop that covered the planet some 14 million years ago? Would you believe they drove tanks and trucks? That’s what Russian geologist Dr. Alexander Koltypin of Moscow’s International Independent... Read more »]]>

Let’s say there was a civilization on Earth that predated the first humans by a few million years. How might they have traveled through the primordial slop that covered the planet some 14 million years ago? Would you believe they drove tanks and trucks?

An overhead view of the mysterious ruts in the Phrygian Valley of Turkey

That’s what Russian geologist Dr. Alexander Koltypin of Moscow’s International Independent University of Ecology and Politology concluded after studying mysterious parallel grooves in the petrified ground in the Phrygian Valley of central Turkey. These grooves, ruts or tracks were discovered in 2014 in an area that already had a rich and mythical history. In Greek mythology, Phrygia was once ruled by Gordias of Gordian Knot fame and Midas of golden touch fame.

The ruts far predate the chariot tracks of ancient Greece and are much deeper – up to a meter in some places. Because the ruts are naturally preserved in petrified volcanic ash, Dr. Koltypin says they’re easy to date and puts their creation at 12 to 14 million years ago. Who or what could have made them?

All these rocky fields were covered with the ruts left some millions of years ago….we are not talking about human beings.

The distance between the ruts is about the width of modern vehicles

Let’s look at what made them first. Dr. Koltypin believes the grooves were made by ancient, heavy off-road vehicles because the tracks run parallel, the grooves are about the width a car or truck might make and the sides of the ruts have scratches that appear to have been made by axles.

These appear to be axle marks worn into the sides of the ruts

Who was driving these monster trucks, Dr. Koltypin?

I think we are seeing the signs of the civilization which existed before the classic creation of this world. Maybe the creatures of that pre-civilization were not like modern human beings.

Koltypin says the evidence supports his theory that an ancient pre-human pre-biblical civilization drove massive vehicles in what is now Turkey some 14 million years ago.

It’s easy to be skeptical, but the ruts look too perfect to be made by nature. What else could have dug them? If it was an ancient civilization, what happened to it? What might be buried beneath the tracks in Turkey? Tanks and trucks with dents from dinosaurs?

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/08/ancient-civilization-drove-tanks-and-trucks-in-turkey/feed/21New Book Suggests Stonehenge May Have Supported a Raised Platformhttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/03/new-book-suggests-stonehenge-may-have-supported-a-raised-platform/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/03/new-book-suggests-stonehenge-may-have-supported-a-raised-platform/#respondMon, 16 Mar 2015 18:01:26 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=42709A newly published book suggests that experts may be looking at Stonehenge the wrong way. Author Julian Spalding thinks we should stop looking down and instead look up – up to where a wooden platform was placed on the flat stones supported by the vertical ones so hundreds could stand high above the ground to... Read more »]]>

A newly published book suggests that experts may be looking at Stonehenge the wrong way. Author Julian Spalding thinks we should stop looking down and instead look up – up to where a wooden platform was placed on the flat stones supported by the vertical ones so hundreds could stand high above the ground to perform religious ceremonies and worship. The book is sure to stimulate thoughts and controversy. Isn’t that what books are for?

Julian Spalding is an art critic and former director of Glasgow Museums and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the most visited museum outside London. In “Realisation – from Seeing to Understanding : The Origins of Art,” Spalding proposes that ancient civilizations, like the one that built Stonehenge, practiced their religions on platforms raised off the ground and positioned to match the movements of the sun and stars.

In early times, no spiritual ceremonies would have been performed on the ground. The Pharaoh of Egypt and the Emperor of China were always carried – as the Pope used to be. The feet of holy people were not allowed to touch the ground. We’ve been looking at Stonehenge from a modern, earth-bound perspective. All the great raised altars of the past suggest that the people who built Stonehenge would never have performed celestial ceremonies on the lowly earth. That would have been unimaginably insulting to the immortal beings, for it would have brought them down from heaven to bite the dust and tread in the dung.

What a platform on top of Stonehenge might have looked like

Did the builders of Stonehenge top it off with a wooden platform that hundreds climbed ramps or stairs to walk around on in a circular direction, following the constellations? Spalding is not an archeologist – he’s an art historian – and his book looks at ancient human understandings of the world to explain works of art and monuments. Stonehenge experts are skeptical, especially since Spalding offers no solid evidence to support his platform proposal.

Since the experts don’t have solid evidence of the original purpose and usage of Stonehenge either, looking at it from a new angle, in Spalding’s case – up to a raised platform, is worth considering.

Any thoughts?

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/03/new-book-suggests-stonehenge-may-have-supported-a-raised-platform/feed/010.13 – MU Plus+ Podcasthttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/10/10-13-mu-plus-podcast/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/10/10-13-mu-plus-podcast/#commentsMon, 06 Oct 2014 12:54:09 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=37825After looking at the future of hibernation in deep space we investigate the our internal ‘auto pilot’ and the neurological benefits of being an idle day dreamer. We then hear the reverberating sounds of history in the abandoned Horton mine before venturing back into the astral realm for some hot reiki action. Links This episode is... Read more »]]>

After looking at the future of hibernation in deep space we investigate the our internal ‘auto pilot’ and the neurological benefits of being an idle day dreamer.

We then hear the reverberating sounds of history in the abandoned Horton mine before venturing back into the astral realm for some hot reiki action.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/10/10-13-mu-plus-podcast/feed/5Dry Grass Patches Prove Stonehenge Was a Circlehttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/09/dry-grass-patches-prove-stonehenge-was-a-circle/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/09/dry-grass-patches-prove-stonehenge-was-a-circle/#commentsTue, 02 Sep 2014 16:45:20 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=36501A summer-long dry spell and a groundskeeper with a too-short hose have helped confirm what archeologists and historians have long suspected but have never been able to prove … Stonehenge was built as a perfect circle. Yes, I know you thought that calling it a “stone circle” meant that’s what it was, but believe it... Read more »]]>

A summer-long dry spell and a groundskeeper with a too-short hose have helped confirm what archeologists and historians have long suspected but have never been able to prove … Stonehenge was built as a perfect circle.

Yes, I know you thought that calling it a “stone circle” meant that’s what it was, but believe it or not, it’s never actually been proven.

Tim Daw, a custodian at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England, had a tough time keeping the grass around the monument green because of the drought conditions in the area last summer. His hosepipe (garden hose) was too short to reach the stones so he was force to let the grass go dry. Being the good groundskeeper he is, Daw was upset about the brown patches that appeared … until he noticed that they were located where archeologists had been looking for evidence of stones that would complete the circle.

Daw reported the patches to site administration and aerial photographs were taken of the brown spots. Archeologists then confirmed that they matched where additional stones would have been located if Stonehenge were built as a circle.

The findings were published in the latest edition of the journal Antiquity along with comments by Susan Greaney, senior properties historian for English Heritage, who admits that even though the site has been studied extensively – most recently with ground-penetrating radar – “really significant” features are still being discovered.

It shows us just how much we still have to learn about Stonehenge. It’s great teat people who know the site really well and look at it every day were able to spot these parch marks and recognise them for what they were.

So where are the missing stones? Greaney admits there’s no answer at the moment and there’s no plans to excavate under the brown patches. However, English Heritage may let the grass go dry again so that the spots are visible again.

That should be good news for Stonehenge visitors, not to mention the groundskeeper.